The Hardships of Being a Wallflower
by brokenbottleaurora
Summary: Luna Lovegood is a wallflower, and it's a heavy burden to bear.


**Written for QLFC, Season 6, Round 11**

Team: Wigtown Wanderers

Position: Seeker

Prompt: Saw (2004) (prompt interpretation: Harboring secret/flaws about people, someone speaking only in riddles.)

Beta(s): Dina, Aya

Words: 1251 per GDocs

Luna Lovegood was a wallflower. When she said this about herself, people tended to argue: she was too intelligent, too brave, too kind to ever be considered a boring little wallflower. In response, she would just smile serenely. She knew that being a wallflower didn't negate being smart and courageous and kind. To her, being a wallflower simply meant that when even little things happened, she took notice.

But being a wallflower came with great responsibility. When people knew that you knew their secrets, they felt scared, frustrated, and nervous; to know that someone could ruin your life was overwhelming if you thought they couldn't be trusted. After all, if a wallflower spoke, she could bring your world crumbling to her feet. So Luna made a promise to herself long ago that she would see people's secrets and she would keep them.

Draco stuck his head out the door of the Room of Requirement and, seeing no one, crept into the hallway and slunk back toward the dungeons. Moments later, Ginny Weasley's tousled head peeked out the same door. She left and walked quickly down the hallway, smoothing her clothes as she went. She was so absorbed in looking innocent that she nearly ran over Luna where she stood at the opening of a small alcove.

"Merlin, Luna! You scared me!" she squeaked, trying in vain to conquer her hair. "How long have you been there?"

Luna could easily read the panic behind Ginny's bright brown eyes, the pulse jumping heavily in her neck. She wanted to offer the redhead words of encouragement and show her support, not judgement, in her choice of boyfriend. But Ginny clearly wasn't ready to have her secret known.

"I've always been here. And I'm always going to be here," Luna answered with a small smile. She took Ginny's arm and escorted her back toward the staircase. "Come on. If we get down to Great Hall quickly, we should be able to fit in a game of Exploding Snap before dinner."

* * *

Luna sat at her favorite table in the library, enjoying the peace and quiet that was somehow different from the formal Ravenclaw common room. It was close enough to the door that she could avoid passing people she didn't want to see on the way out, but it wasn't near the more crowded part of the library that got a bit noisy, despite Madam Pince's best efforts. It was right next to a window, so on nice days she and her textbooks were bathed in warm sunlight. Best of all, she could see nearly every inch of the library from her spot.

A few days before her Fourth Year final exams, Luna was hard at work when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hermione Granger digging frantically in her bag. Luna thought nothing of it; everyone was stressed this time of year, especially the Muggle-born with her ridiculous reputation to uphold.

Luna surreptitiously watched as Hermione stopped suddenly and looked around before pulling a small amber vial from her bag. With trembling hands she twisted off the cap and palmed a little white pill. She stuffed the bottle back into her bag, shoved the pill into her mouth, and swallowed. Finished, she looked up, accidentally meeting Luna's gaze.

The Gryffindor Golden Girl froze at the thought of being caught. Luna gave her a small wave and walked lightly to the other girl's table. She perched on the edge of the table and caught a glimpse of the name on the bottle before Hermione kicked her bag out of sight: Ritalin.

Ahhh, that made sense. Luna wasn't sure what Hermione was so afraid of; she knew that half of Ravenclaw was probably running on Muggle pharmaceuticals at this point, in an attempt to keep up with their insane revision schedules.

"Hello, Hermione. How are things going?" she whispered gently.

"They're fine," Hermione gulped. "Just fine. What have you been learning?"

Luna was impressed that someone so tired and stressed could come up with the double entendre. She could see now that the table was completely filled with notes on Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, and History of Magic. Merlin only knew how long the girl had been cooped up in the library, trying to cram all the knowledge into her brain. One look into Hermione's eyes told her that confrontation was the last thing her already frazzled mind needed at that moment.

"Oh you know, it' actually some very important information, but it's nothing that I'm too concerned about. But I could use a break and it looks like you might like one too. How about a game of backgammon or something?"

Hermione slumped in relief; honestly, the girl had no poker face. "That sounds perfect."

The two girls packed and left the library, one feeling a bit lighter and the other heavier under the weight of yet another secret.

* * *

Neville was pacing anxiously at the foot of the main staircase as the school made its way down to breakfast. Luna recognized the bouquet of rare flowers clutched behind his back. He kept casting nervous glances toward the exit of the shortcut from Gryffindor Tower that only Harry and his friends took. Luna felt her heart break a bit for her sweet friend. She knew that Hermione was far too intimidating for a boy like Neville to fancy, but Ginny… They'd gone to the Yule Ball together, been partnered several times in the DA, and spent a lot of time together on the fringe of the Golden Trio. It made perfect sense for him to have a crush on Ginny and her on him; but not only is love blind, it's also senseless.

"Good morning, Neville!" Luna chirped, also scanning the entry and the hallways. "Looking for anyone in particular?"

"Uh, I, uh…Merlin, if I'm going to ask her out, I have to be able to say it aloud," he muttered. Neville shook his head and took a steadying breath. "I'm looking for Ginny. I'm going to ask her to go to Hogsmeade with me. What do you think?" he asked, thrusting the flowers toward her.

Luna studied him for a moment. "In life and love, there are no easy questions, and there are no easy answers. Sometimes, we don't like either one."

Neville cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

Holding in a frustrated sigh, Luna murmured, "The universe often speaks, not in words, but in timing and circumstance. I suppose I'm saying good things come to those who watch as well as wait."

Neville seemed to take a moment to process her riddling response before dropping his chin. "I suppose I've been trying so hard to get up the courage to tell Ginny I fancy her that I haven't really been paying attention to whether or not she might feel the same way. I don't want to look like a fool… Thanks for the advice, Luna," he mumbled, slouching away.

Being a wallflower was hard at times. Luna was inadvertently entrusted with a lot of secrets, and she had to honor that promise to herself that she would keep them in confidence. As a result, she found herself forced to speak far more mysteriously than she would like. But that didn't keep her from looking out for her friends however she could, whether it was offering support, providing a distraction, or preventing a broken heart. Yes, keeping secrets was difficult, but keeping her friends safe and happy was worth it.


End file.
